Antonina Harutinian sits in her domik home in, Gyumri, Armenia. Though meant to be temporary shelters for those displaced by the 1988 earthquake, the tiny domik structures remain the only home many Armenians have known in the decades since. To read more about challenges facing Armenian pensioners, read Shaken by the Earthquake of Life, in the Summer 2014 issue of ONE. (photo: Nazik Armenakyan)

Smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobane after an air strike, seen from near the Mursitpinar border crossing near Suruç, Turkey, on 4 October. (photo: Stringer/Getty Images)

Syrian Kurds say airstrikes push ISIS back from Kobane(Daily Star Lebanon) U.S.-led air strikes Wednesday pushed ISIS fighters back to the edges of the Syrian Kurdish border town of Kobani, which they had appeared set to seize after a three-week assault, local officials said. The town has drawn international attention since the Islamists’ advance drove 180,000 of the area’s mostly Kurdish inhabitants to flee into adjoining Turkey. Ankara has infuriated its own restive Kurdish minority and its NATO partners in Washington by refusing to intervene…

Air strikes leave 65 civilians dead in Iraq’s Anbar(Fars News) A large number of Iraqi civilians were killed during the massive air strikes launched by the warplanes of the U.S.-led coalition in Anbar province on Monday. A military source told National Iraqi news agency that the strikes on ISIS in the city of Ramadi left 65 civilians dead…

More than 300 killed in Ukraine since cease-fire(Al Jazeera) At least 331 people have been killed in clashes in eastern Ukraine since Kiev and Russian-backed rebels signed agreements to enact a cease-fire and create a demilitarized buffer zone last month, the United Nations said Wednesday. Hostilities persist in the main rebel-held city of Donetsk, as well as around the towns of Debaltseve and Schastye…

The Franciscan priest kidnapped after he had appealed to court(Fides) The Rev. Hanna Jallouf, O.F.M., was kidnapped along with his parishioners after his recent visit to the Islamic Court, the body set up to administer justice according to Islamic law in the areas not controlled by the Syrian government. He had gone to report harassment and abuse the convent had suffered in recent weeks by the brigades of Islamists who control the area…

Greek Orthodox denounce Israeli law on Aramaic Christians as divisive(Ecumenical News) The Greek Orthodox Christian Patriarchate in east Jerusalem has slammed an Israeli law recognizing Aramaic Christians as a nationality, describing it as an attempt to divide the Palestinian minority. The Greek Orthodox Church said in a statement that the law, which separates Christians from Arabs, would split minorities living in Israel, eventually weakening Palestinians, reported The Jerusalem Post. “Palestinian Christians are an important part of the Arab and Palestinian nations; we are proud of the Aramaic identity as it reflects history and culture shaped by Arab Muslims and Christians,” the report quoted Christian Orthodox Church spokesperson Father Issa Musleh as saying…

Pope: Divisions between Christians are wounds in the church(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis appealed for Christian unity on Wednesday at his weekly General Audience. Speaking to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the pope invited those present to ask themselves: “Are we resigned, or even indifferent to this division? Or do we firmly believe that we can and we must walk together towards reconciliation and full communion?” Divisions between Christians — he continued — wound the church and wound Christ…

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem established Sacred Heart parish in 1996 to serve Amman’s swelling Catholic migrant community. Among the families are a scattering of Europeans and North Americans, most of whom work in the foreign embassies of the posh Jabal Al Weibdeh neighborhood that surrounds the church. A few wear bright salwar kameez, the traditional pajama-like trousers worn by men and women from the Indian subcontinent. The vast majority, however, are Filipino women.

“It was a little strange for me in church at first,” says Father Kevin O’Connell, who has led the parish since its inception 15 years ago. “You’d look out to an entire congregation of women.”

A congenial 67-year-old Jesuit priest from Boston, who wears slacks and sandals under his vestments, Father O’Connell, looks and acts the part of a wise, friendly grandfather.

He helps the choir and he holds the lease on a house where the choir rehearses and other church groups gather. Father O’Connell also oversees the Sacred Heart youth basketball team and helped a group of youngsters from the church secure a space in the Jesuit Fathers’ center where they can breakdance.

Most important, Father O’Connell spends much of his energy responding to the spiritual, emotional and material needs of his predominantly Filipino congregation and other Filipino migrants in the country.

“I understood that the first task was to give people a place where they could be at home,” says Father O’Connell. “For these people, just the ongoing, regular liturgy — with Filipino music, with people reading, with them being able to participate in whatever way they want — gives a strand of consistency and continuity. It’s their home. It’s their place. In most cases, there’s no place else they can gather.”

Though some have jobs at the Philippine Embassy or in international organizations, most are domestic workers. They live in their employers’ homes and work long hours. Many experience intense feelings of loneliness and homesickness. They often have families back home whom they miss desperately.

Read more about Filipinos Far From Home in the November 2011 issue of ONE.

A destroyed car sits outside a school in Homs, Syria. Two car bombs exploded near the school on 1 October, killing at least 47 students. (photo: CNS/courtesy Jesuit Refugee Service)

Jesuit based in Syria urges caution as Canada debates military action(Catholic Register) As Canada debated joining the United States and other nations in military intervention to stop Islamic State militants, a Jesuit priest based in Syria urged caution and called for renewed efforts to find peace. “I am not a political man,” said the Jesuit Rev. Ziad Hilal, pastor of Holy Savior Parish in Homs and project manager for Jesuit Refugee Service. “What I want to say, the Syrian people need peace and security…”

Syrian priest and Christians kidnapped by fighters linked to Al Nusra(Fides) The Franciscan Fathers of the Custody of the Holy Land confirm that the Rev. Hanna Jallouf, O.F.M., parish priest in Knayeh, was taken by some brigades linked to Al Nusra Front on 5 October. Along with Father Hanna, several men of the Christian village were also taken. The number of those who were kidnapped is not specified…

Islamic State using water as a weapon in Iraq(Washington Post) The Islamic State militants who have rampaged across northern Iraq are increasingly using water as a weapon, cutting off supplies to villages resisting their rule and pressing to expand their control over the country’s water infrastructure. The threat from the jihadists is so critical that U.S. forces are bombing the militants close to both the Mosul and Haditha dams — Iraq’s largest — on a near-daily basis. But the radical Islamists continue to menace both facilities…

Chaldean bishop: ‘Our people have been abandoned’(Aid to the Church in Need) The Government of Iraq is guilty of not helping Christians desperate to flee Islamic State militia, according to a leading Catholic bishop from the country. Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil said Iraq’s national government in Baghdad “has done nothing, absolutely nothing” for 120,000 Christians seeking sanctuary away from areas terrorized by the extremists…

Pope Francis convokes consistory on Middle East(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday convoked a consistory of cardinals and patriarchs to discuss the situation facing Christians in the Middle East. The consistory will take place in the Vatican on 20 October…

‘What truce?’ ask residents of Donetsk, where battles continue to rage(Euronews) A ceasefire may still be officially in place in eastern Ukraine, but try telling that to the owners of burning homes in Donetsk. Battles are raging unabated between Ukrainian forces and separatist fighters, mainly around the city’s airport. And nearby neighborhoods are often caught in the crossfire…

Kerala has the highest consumption of alcohol per capita in the country (about 20 percent of Indians drink alcohol, and of that number 5 percent are alcoholics, reported The Hindustan Times last year). Each year, the state consumes 2.2 gallons of liquor per capita, about three times the national rate, according to India’s Outlook magazine.

“In Kerala, people tend to start drinking once they are 18 years old, which is the legal age for being able to purchase liquor,” said Father Titus Kattuparambil, a Syro-Malabar priest of the Eparchy of Irinjalakuda and assistant director of Navachaithanya.

“Among the bad cases, you’ll see people who earn about three dollars a day, and they’ll blow two dollars of that on alcohol.”

Both national and local governments have acknowledged the problem of alcoholism, and alcohol advertising is illegal. Kerala’s state government also funds several detoxification centers at public hospitals. But at the same time, Father Titus pointed out, the government in Kerala — as in other Indian states — draws revenue from liquor taxes and therefore has a fiscal disincentive to curb alcohol consumption.

Nonetheless, in 1996 the state government banned the consumption of arrack, a potent liquor made from fermented palm sap (and not to be confused with the arak liquor of the Arab world). The government thought the ban on arrack, which is much stronger than toddy, would help curb alcoholism. The prohibition, however, only encouraged illegal traffic and production. Hundreds of Keralites have been killed or blinded from drinking bad batches of home-brewed arrack. And alcohol consumption continues to rise.

It has largely been left to religious organizations and NGOs to treat Kerala’s alcoholics.

“Alcohol has always been a problem here, it’s not just recently,” said Syro-Malabar Bishop James Pazhayattil of the Eparchy of Irinjalakuda. “Several years ago, people approached me about the problem in our community and we started Navachaithanya.” Since then, the center has treated more than 8,000 men for alcoholism or drug addiction, though alcohol is by far the area’s larger problem.

In this June photo, Islamic State fighters stand guard at a checkpoint in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The United Nations reported that the Islamic State has committed a “staggering array” of human rights abuses in Iraq, causing many in Mosul to flee. (photo: CNS/Reuters)

Mosul residents fear U.S. airstrikes and sectarian revenge(Christian Science Monitor) Four months after a band of Sunni jihadists captured their city with shocking ease, residents of Mosul are bracing for possible United States-led airstrikes. As the U.S. and its allies have stepped up a bombing campaign in Iraq against the Islamic State, Sunni residents of Mosul say militants have lowered their profile and switched up tactics…

Most ISIS ammunition from U.S. and China(New York Times) In its campaign across northern Syria and Iraq, the jihadist group Islamic State has been using ammunition from the United States and other countries that have been supporting the regional security forces fighting the group, according to new field data gathered by a private arms-tracking organization. This suggests that ammunition transferred into Syria and Iraq to help stabilize governments has instead passed from the governments to the jihadists, helping to fuel the Islamic State’s rise and persistent combat power…

Kurds repel attack on Syrian town(Daily Star Lebanon) Kurdish forces defending a Syrian town near the Turkish border clashed with the Islamic State Monday after repelling a wide-ranging militant assault the day before in battles that left dozens dead on both sides…

Hezbollah pushes back Syrian militant offensive in Bekaa(Yahoo! News) At least 16 insurgents from Al Qaeda’s Syrian wing, Al Nusra Front, were killed in clashes with Shiite group Hezbollah in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on Sunday after launching a major offensive, a source close to Hezbollah said…

Abbas pushes U.N. statehood plan forward(Al Monitor) Palestinians seek to restart negotiations with Israel, on equal footing. “Permanent status negotiations between the state of Palestine and the state of Israel is what we want to see in 2015,” said a senior political Palestinian source in Ramallah. The Palestinian Authority will move forward on four tracks toward a “make it or break it” year…

Many killed as rebels storm Ukraine’s Donetsk airport(Vatican Radio) At least some 12 pro-Russian rebels have reportedly been killed in fighting around the airport of Ukraine’s eastern city of Donetsk. Pro-Russian rebels could be seen dragging the body of a fellow fighter to a truck in one of the bloodiest clashes since a ceasefire was agreed last month…

In Gangapar, in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, a brick house protects the children of Jasvir Singh from floods. The children attend a school run by the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Bijnor and funded by CNEWA. To read more about life in Gangapar, read Caste Aside, published in the Summer 2014 issue of ONE. (photo: John Mathew)

A Syrian Kurdish family walks through a border crossing on 29 September to return to their home in the Syrian city of Kobane, on the Turkish-Syrian border. A Syrian priest on a U.S. mission trip says amid ongoing death and destruction in the Middle East, the Catholic Church continues to provide spiritual and material support for those in need. (photo: CNS/Murad Sezer, Reuters)

Islamic State steps up attack on Syrian town of Kobane(BBC) Heavy fighting is being reported between Kurdish militiamen and Islamic State militants advancing on the northern Syrian town of Kobane. A BBC correspondent across the border in Turkey saw explosions and smoke rising from buildings hit by shells…

Hama maintains its calm amid Syrian storm(Al Monitor) Residents of the city of Hama, 30 miles north of Homs, call it “the city of the massacre,” but it is still far from the battles continuing in the surrounding countryside. Since the Syrian army stormed the city in early August 2011, relative calm has prevailed in the city that witnessed some of the largest peaceful protests against the Syrian regime…

Sweden to recognize state of Palestine(Reuters) Sweden’s new center-left government will recognize the state of Palestine in a move that will make it the first major European country to take the step, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Friday…

Aid worker killed in Donetsk as fighting continues over besieged airport(Al Jazeera) Amid fierce fighting around the besieged Donetsk airport Thursday, a Swiss aid worker was killed as conflict between government forces and advancing pro-Russian rebels in the city intensified. The Red Cross employee died when a shell landed at the organization’s office in a separatist-held part of the eastern Ukrainian city. “We’re deeply distressed by this loss,” Ewan Watson, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, told Reuters…

Pope to Church of the East patriarch: We are close in faith, persecution(Vatican Radio) “No religious, political or economic motives can justify what is happening to hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children,” said Pope Francis said Thursday, describing what is happening to Christians and other minorities in Iraq and Syria as “daily persecution.” The remark was addressed to Mar Dinkha IV, patriarch of the Church of the East — one of the oldest Christian churches, tracing its roots back to the first century in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey…

Displaced people fleeing violence in Iraq walk toward the Syrian border town of Elierbeh. Pope Francis opened a three-day summit on 2 October on the violence and persecution underway in the Middle East, saying arms trafficking was the root cause of many problems in the region. To help those Iraqis who have been displaced, please visit this page. (photo: CNS/Rodi Said, Reuters)

In the video above, Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Borys Gudziak discusses the situation in Ukraine.Read more about the bishop and his reflections on his homelandin the Spring 2014 edition of ONE. (video: CNS)

Papal representatives in the Middle East gather in the Vatican(VIS) The papal representatives in the Middle East are meeting in the Vatican from 2 to 4 October, at the Holy Father’s behest, to discuss the presence of Christians in the region, due to the grave situation that has prevailed in recent months. The meeting began this morning at the Secretariat of State and was attended by the Superiors of the Secretariat of State and the Roman Curia directly linked with the issue, as well as the Holy See Permanent Observers at the United Nations in New York and Geneva, and the apostolic nuncio to the European Union...

Pope to Assyrian Patriarch: we are close in faith, persecution(Vatican Radio) “No religious, political or economic motives can justify what is happening to hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children:” that’s what Pope Francis said Thursday, calling what is happening to Christians and other minorities in Iraq and Syria “daily persecution”...

Ukraine rebels seek to capture Donetsk airport(BBC) Rebel forces in eastern Ukraine are conducting an offensive to capture the government-held airport in Donetsk, officials say. Pro-Russian rebels have tried several times in recent weeks to take the airport, which lies to the north-west of the city, despite an official truce. The Ukrainian military said the rebels were moving on “a broad front.” However a spokesman denied claims they had taken a large part of the airport and insisted it was not surrounded...

Pope speaks to Eritreans, expresses support for migrants(CNS) People need to open their hearts to the many people who are forced to migrate as they face enormous difficulties and sometimes tragedy, Pope Francis said. “I pray for closed hearts that they may open. And everything I have available to me, is available to you,” he told a group of young Eritreans who survived a deadly shipwreck off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa. The pope met with 20 survivors and their family members at the Vatican on 1 October, just a few days shy of the anniversary of the 3 October 2013, disaster...

Gaza portraits: what I saved from the rubble(The Guardian) Tanks and airstrikes blasted holes in people’s homes, offering us a glimpse into their lives, and these evocative images of Gaza residents show them with cherished items salvaged from the devastation...